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“Happy Good Friday!” doesn’t quite seem appropriate, given that today we remember Jesus’ horrific crucifixion. So, I’m just going to greet you with “Good Friday to You!” because it is Good Friday, and it’s good!

Things are Good with the Letts in the LaLa!
I recently turned in my doctoral dissertation, and I’m preparing for my oral defense, with expectation to graduate in May. We just celebrated Kevin’s birthday. We’ll celebrate 15 years of marriage, also in May. Our Hope in the Hills family has experienced such joy and transition in this Year of Jubilee with our Sunday series on Identity and our Artists series on Monday nights. We’ve had worship retreats and conferences, and folks are closer to God and one another, and YES! That’s Good!

But what about the rest of the world?
How can we say things are good? This week, there was another terrorist bombing in Europe. We found out Phife from A Tribe Called Quest succumbed to diabetes-related complications at the age of 45. At least 3 other notable deaths rocked our Hollywood industry, and the political landscape is a hot mess. But it’s good?!

Yes! Today is GOOD
…because I’ve read the book and evil doesn’t prevail in the end. Today is GOOD because death itself was overthrown when Jesus, the GOD-man, allowed Himself to be beaten, bruised, pierced and nailed to a cross in our stead so that we have assurance of life after death in paradise without penalty. Today is GOOD because ultimately our Good God wins!

Our hearts break when one innocent life is taken in the name of terror; but we stand against terror and boldly pray for Europe and all nations because we know that Love drives out fear. We mourn with those who have lost loved ones this week. We love on you, comfort you and lift you up. And we extend Hope your way, as we too cling to Hope and Goodness.

The PHOTO ABOVE puts us ahead of ourselves as it reps the HOPE we have because of Resurrection Sunday, but I wish that for you today. Faith, Hope and Love… and a Good Friday… because it is Good.

Lots of love from the LaLa,
Naima

P.S. If you’re out this way on Sunday. Join us in the Hills. We’re going to have a GOOD time! Here’s the info:

Sending you hope, joy, peace and comfort during this Christmas of Jubilee! And most of all sending you Love! We handed out Love Letters from the Father this past Sunday at Hope in the Hills and it was an unforgettable Love Fest. As you celebrate the Greatest Love Story of God’s Son coming to earth over the next few days, we pray that you too will experience His sweet love and presence in a tangible way.

Have you thought about that? There are different kinds of love for sure: romantic love, brotherly love, Godly love. But inherently, we all know whether or not we feel loved.

Dr. Gary Chapman, author of the New York Times bestseller, The 5 Love Languages, which has sold over 10 million copies, says that most of us know that we’re loved through 5 languages: words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time and physical touch.

We’re in the middle of our Love Revolution and 30 Days of expressing LOVE ACTS locally, nationally and globally. We are tangibly and practically pouring out love to others with no fear of our own love tanks being empty because God has been filling us up to overflowing.

This past Sunday at Hope in the Hills in Beverly Hills, while we sang in worship, the sweet presence of the Lord was so near that many of us wound up on our knees or prostrate or weeping. I felt waves and waves of God’s love in the depths of my soul as I was reminded of how much He loves us and gave His Son for us. God is love, and He’s the One Who invited us to love like He loves. As He leads, we follow.

My prayer for you this week, this month, is that you too, being rooted and grounded in love, will know how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and that you too will be filled to overflowing, according to Ephesians 3:14-21, so that you too are motivated to love others in the same manner.

I love weddings! I loved our spring wedding: roses, choreo-dramas, our family chartering a bus from the South to the North to celebrate with us. I loved getting married. I loved the proposal. I loved the engagement. I love Kevin more now than I did almost 14 years ago when we married, and I didn’t think that was possible because I was knocked-out-giddied-up-head-over-hills in love with him at that time. Still, our love has deepened with each mountain and valley, with each rainbow and waterfall.

10 Weddings in a Year | Beating the Odds

In the year that we married, the year our skyline changed because the Twin Towers came tumbling down, Kevin and I attended or participated in 10 weddings. YES! 10! From Disney World to Detroit, from the Garden State to the Lone Star State! We loved it! Every one of those weddings was different and precious and full of hope. And be encouraged, Fam! We’re beating the odds, Fam! Of those 10 weddings, 8 are still going strong. So much for those 50% statistics! We’re not saying it’s easy. Marriage isn’t easy. But each day, we’re walking with the Lord and making a decision to love one another and work things out and forgive, etc. It can be done! One of these days, maybe I can try to arrange a collage of our BIG 8 like the one above of my friends and Hope Fam. :=)

So Excited

I still get excited when I see the beautiful bride in all of her glory and see her groom gaze upon her coming down the aisle. So imagine how thrilled I was when the Lord begin to minister to us about His excitement when He sees His Bride, the church, in all our glory. As our Bridegroom, Jesus loves His Bride, whom He gave His life for. And just before the new heaven and new earth are revealed for all time, Revelation 19:9 says “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” I look forward to the greatest wedding heaven and earth has ever seen.

Our Spring Wedding

So, we’re having another Spring Wedding! This time, we’re celebrating the ultimate Bridegroom and His Love for His Bride on Easter. Hope in the Hills is throwing a Feast of Love: A Special Easter Celebration & Reception. We’ve got worship, the arts, the Word, great food and fellowship. We currently gather at the Belle Chapel of Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills, 300 North Clark Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90211. If you’re in the LaLa, we’d love for you to come celebrate with us. Please RSVP so we prepare enough food. If you’re not in the LaLa, please send your prayers and praises our way. We’re going to rock the Hills come Sunday! Love, love, love is in the air! Here’s the invite:

Happy Resurrection Sunday to all of our extended family across the globe! Celebrate this weekend. Celebrate how much you are loved by the One Who gave His life for you, conquered death, and arose again that we have life in Him. You are loved with an everlasting love!

That’s the question in my keynote address at CBS Studio Center on THURS, MARCH 5th for the Hollywood Media Dinner sponsored by Christian Women in Media. This time, I get to share exciting insight gathered on Hollywood in my doctoral work. It’s an encouraging Word, Fam!

So thrilled to be invited back to speak again and also asked to lead a local network in Beverly Hills kicking off in the next month. And so proud of many of our HOPE IN THE HILLS fam who have gifted tickets to their friends to come Thursday. How awesome! If you’re in the LaLa, come on out. If you’re abroad, consider sponsoring someone here. It’s only $25. And consider going to a CWIMA event in your area.

The first time I drove cross country I was a junior Acting major at Howard University. It was January, and I looked forward to exchanging East Coast snow for palm trees and a warm breeze. I packed my candy-apple-red, 2-door Honda Civic to its roof, and set out for my semester abroad at the University of Southern California in LaLa Land.

BEFORE I HIT THE ROAD, I GOT A MAP.

I figured out the best route to travel, how much gas, where to eat, how much money, and safe cities to lodge, since some towns could get a little dicey for folks of hue after dark. Leaving from my dad’s house in the South, I knew there were some obscure towns where you didn’t want to be caught out at night. I planned my trip accordingly and coasted into 80 degrees and a saltwater breeze within 4 days.

What if I had begun my journey without a map? What if I just got in my car and drove- no plan, no money, no food, no lodging? And that’s for a simple 38 hour, 2400 mile road trip.

What if I told you I was driving cross country for the first time and you asked me questions about the trip, and I said, “I don’t know. I think I’ll just wing it”? You’d probably be a little concerned for me… or at least offer to pray because you knew I might not make it.

CAN I ASK THE HARD QUESTION?

How many times do we set out on life’s journey with no map? No plan, no vision, no clear destination. Or we have a destination, but we have no strategy to actually get us there. And then, when others (who genuinely love us) raise concerns, we say they’re killing our dreams or cramping our creativity or trying to box us in?

I’ve found my artist fam to be particularly adverse to planning. We want to be free. We love winging it; and if we love the Lord, we just say, “He’ll take care of it!” And then we look up a year later when we haven’t garnered any work and blame the Hollywood system.

A plan, in and of itself, doesn’t guarantee success. But having a clear vision of why we’re here and making a road map for the journey does make reaching our goals more likely.

Jesus has a very clear purpose. He knows exactly why He’s on the earth (John 12:23-28). And when he advises those who would be His disciples, He insists that they also count the costs.

COUNT THE COST
Entire passage: Luke 14:25-35
Excerpt:25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and calculate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ …

CLARITY

Jesus is real clear. He knows that interwoven into His earthly purpose is a wooden cross. He tells his disciples upfront that in order to truly follow Him, they also have to be willing to carry their own crosses, which might mean giving up family, possessions, and even their own lives. They could die following Him. And many of them do.

So, He says, before you take this journey with me, calculate the cost. Consider the path. He gives an example of building a tower and asks if they would begin building without first making a plan. He lets them know that if they don’t plan, they will not be able to finish.Jesus means this specifically when it comes to following Him, but I also believe this concept can be applied across our lives.

Let’s get clear on our purpose and calculate the cost. Before we build the building, let’s make the blueprint. Before we jump in the car, let’s get a map.

THE UNEXPECTED

Having a map doesn’t negate unexpected detours and potholes along the trip. Stuff happens. When my husband and I moved to LA a few years ago, the tire on our moving truck blew out a mile from New Mexico. It was 106 degrees. We had to wait for roadside assistance. We were delayed for hours. We had to readjust our schedule. But as soon as we were able to get the tire fixed, we got back on the road. We still had a destination to reach.

Such it is with life. We never expected cancer. But when we hit that pothole, hmmm… volcanic crater, we readjusted, and as soon as we could, tried to figure out how to still reach our final destination.

WHY WE’RE HERE

That was 2002. And my husband and I made a decision coming out of that life detour and the year of marriage counseling it took to put us back together again.

We decided: We might be limping. We might be crawling. God might actually have to carry us across the finish line, but we will finish this race, Fam. We will do exactly what we are purposed to do.

Every person has a purpose and should live on purpose. I’ve been called a dream pusher. I love helping folks find their purpose and follow their dreams without losing their faith.

If you don’t already know why you’re here, let’s figure it out. We’ll take some time and explore over the coming days. Maybe you already know, but you’ve hit a detour. Let’s figure out next steps. I absolute LOVE this! Can’t you tell?!

Your Exuberant Tour Guide with the leopard-print belt and safari hat.
Who says we can’t be stylish on the journey?
Naima

Why would anybody STILL celebrate Lent today?
Especially a progressive, non-denominational church in 2017!

Why?
Because we, like our global family of faith, look forward to THE Celebration of all Celebrations culminating at the end of Lent: Easter/Resurrection Sunday! Easter is arguably the most important holiday on our calendar, give or take Christmas. Our entire faith is based on that resurrection that resulted in thatEmpty Tomb!

So, Why Not?
That’s the question! Why not journey with the global family for the next 40 days? Break outside your box. Live dangerously. Walk on the wild side of faith.

This one thing I know: there’s no greater adventure than attempting to sacrifice an “essential” to grow closer to the One Who is Essential. 40 days of giving up anything ain’t easy. Thank God we don’t have to rely on our own strength and fortitude. We can ask for His help. And the rewarding transformation that occurs… so worth it!

What is Lent?
Lent is the 40-day season (46 days minus Sundays) of fasting, prayer and reflection, starting with Ash Wednesday and ending on Easter. It symbolizes the 40 days in the wilderness, testing and temptation that Jesus endured before launching into his public ministry (Matthew 4:1-11).

What do we do?
Some of our Catholic fam don ash crosses on the forehead to symbolize Ash Wednesday and the tradition of repentance in ashes and sackcloth. While symbols are wonderful, they are not required. Non-Catholics usually focus on “What’s on the inside? What’s in our hearts?”

Here are some simple steps to take:
1) DECIDE
Decide if you want to go on the 40 day journey.
Pray and ask, ‘Do I want to make this commitment?”

2) CHOOSE
Then choose one thing that you’d like to sacrifice over the next 40 days.
This can be a favorite food. Some give up meat & dairy. If you’re a vegetarian or vegan (like I am), giving up meat for Lent isn’t a sacrifice :=) Maybe it’s a favorite TV show or hobby. Whatever it is, it would be best if it’s something that affects your life daily. Why? Because when you yearn for it daily, you’re reminded why you are fasting and reminded to pray.

3) FOCUS
Focus on the goal.
In the scriptures, people fasted and prayed for many different reasons i.e. entreating the Lord’s help and intervention, seeking the Lord’s face and presence, repentance and contrition, etc. It’s a spiritual discipline that’s been practiced by people of faith for thousands of years, prior to Jesus. Lent, especially, is a season of reflection and repentance and growing closer to the Lord. Your goal could simply be that: To grow closer to the Lord. Pray and define it. If there is no real reason for you to do this, you won’t. That’s just how we’re built. Define. Get specific.

4) SUPPORT
Get support.
Invite family or a friend to go on the journey with you. At least, tell someone else you’re fasting and praying. You will likely make the entire 40 days if you’re holding each other accountable.

If you have ANY QUESTIONS, please let me know!!!

What you talkin’ bout?!
Talking bout transformation.
Talking about realness.
Talking about deeper fellowship.
You ready?
Let’s do this!